IT looks as if the Chetrit family is shuffling its real estate empire.
The Chetrit Group has apparently put into play 450 W. 33rd St., the cream-colored former John Hancock building that is the home of Mort Zuckerman‘s Daily News, the Associated Press and Web advertising company DoubleClick.
Most tenants have long-term, below-market leases, so the upside here would be the ability to construct an additional 800,000-square-foot tower that would overlook the Hudson Yards.
Additionally, the Chetrit Group is “willing to entertain” offers for its Toy Buildings at 200 Fifth Ave. and 1107 Broadway that were once slated for residential conversion.
The latest move by the Chetrit Group comes after Post colleague Steve Cuozzo reported earlier that the company might re-market 200 Fifth as modern office space.
Cipriani is the main retail tenant in this beautiful, curved landmark that overlooks Madison Square Park.
But commercial tenants have been squealing since the investment group bought the two buildings with the expectation of emptying them for conversion.
“I am sure we will reach an amicable resolution with them over the next few months,” said David Levine, vice president of the Chetrit Group.
“We are continuing with our residential program but [are] always willing to entertain any offers.”
We hear that Douglas Harmon of Eastdil Secured, who last year sold $15 billion in city real estate, had been hired to oversee what could evolve into a total $1.5 billion deal for both 450 W. 33rd and the Toy properties.
However, Levine would only say, “We’ve had discussions with numerous brokers and Eastdil happens to be one of them.”
What we did learn was where the Chetrits are redeploying some of their capital.
Sources say they just signed a contract to buy another curved landmark at 26 Broadway for more than $200 million. Levine declined to comment on that pending transaction.
If that deal closes, the owners of that building, the Koeppel family, will have taken their last real estate chip off the table.
Their brokers, Darcy Stacom and William Shanahan of CB Richard Ellis, were traveling and could not be reached. The Koeppels did not return calls.
You might recall that 26 Broadway, the old Standard Oil Building, is the site of the upcoming the National Sports Museum, which, took more than a year to sign an agreement to lease 101,000 feet on the ground, first and second floors.
Dubbed the “Smithsonian for Sports,” the museum is now targeting an April 1, 2008, opening.
When the lease was inked, sports buff Caleb Koeppel said, “It’s great for downtown.”
His brother, David, posed for us with the Stanley Cup back in April 2004 when the pro hockey trophy was brought to the initial announcement in Battery Park.
Last year, the Koeppels sold both 575 Lexington Ave. to CalStRs and Silverstein Properties for $400 million and its appraisal and land service firm, KTR, to First American Title.
It’s hard to imagine the family resting on their laurels and dough.
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Housekeeping: Last week’s parcel on the market on the northeast corner of 59th St. is 635 Madison Ave. in Midtown.
Additionally, Barbara Raskob of Kaufman/Adler Realty at the Kaufman Organization was the building broker for the Simmons Jewelry deal.
